If tonight’s Republican debate took place around a “kitchen table,” as moderator Charlie Rose described, the main course was Herman Cain.

Cain’s rival candidates had their knives out for the former Godfather’s Pizza executive and his starchy “9-9-9” tax plan. Cain has won some fans with this proposal, which replaces the current tax code with a flat, 9 percent income-tax rate, a 9 percent corporate tax rate and a 9 percent personal income tax.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said the name sounded like the price of a pizza. Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, suggested a more sinister inspiration:

“When you take the 9-9-9 plan and you turn it upside down, I think the devil’s in the details,” Bachmann said. It was a clever line (if you know your book of Revelations or popular horror-movie conventions about 666 as the mark of the beast) . More importantly, Bachmann made a solid point that conservatives will appreciate – don’t give Congress a new way to tax Americans.

Cain later claimed that the 9 percent tax rates won’t later rise because, as president, he’d veto any increases. OK, but what happens after his term is over?

Mitt Romney, who has a 59-point economic plan, rather condescendingly remarked that the simplest plan isn’t always the best. And Texas Congressman Ron Paul mocked Cain for naming Alan Greenspan as the most successful chairman of the Federal Reserve. “Greenspan was a disaster,” Paul said, laughing ruefully.

Romney won this debate for a couple of reasons. The efforts to skewer Cain took a lot of the heat off of him, although he again had to answer barbs about the Massachusetts health-care plan and his former role at Bain Capital. He’s faced both questions before and had no trouble articulating his responses. The debate, sponsored by Bloomberg and the Washington Post and broadcast from New Hampshire, focused entirely on economic issues, Romney’s best subject. Nothing happened that’s likely to unseat him from the top of national polls.

Cain, who has risen to second place behind Romney in recent national polls, as well as surveys in Iowa and New Hampshire, wasn’t the loser of this debate. The attention on him underscored the perception that he’s a frontrunner. He wasn’t always successful in countering criticism, but he never stopped smiling. He didn’t go on the attack against Romney or other rivals.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was the one who really needed to reverse a string of disappointing debates. He needed to come across as a man who knows better than anyone else on the stage how to create jobs and revitalize the economy. Instead, he seemed like he was barely managing to stay awake.

Cain may have been on the carving board, but Perry ended up looking as appetizing as week-old leftovers.